Part Forty-Three

Sierra felt the air shift at the same time I did and I smiled. We had finished making the soup and Sierra had surprised me by baking bread. We had just scooped them all into containers and placed them in the fridge when Octavia appeared.

“You summoned me Griffin,” Octavia said as she appeared in the kitchen doorway.

“Thank you for coming, Octavia,” I said and looked at Sierra.

“Nice to see you again, Sierra,” Octavia said.

“It is?” she asked.

“I was about to make coffee,” I said and Octavia nodded.

“Why is my presence needed? You don’t look half dead this time,” she said.

“I recently found out that Sierra is a nymph, but nobody knows enough about them, we were hoping that you could help,” I said to her.

“Aren’t you two cute, ‘we’,” she chuckled.

I finished the coffee and we all sat down in the living room as Octavia made herself comfortable. We sat in silence for a few minutes as Octavia sat deep in thought. I knew better than to disturb her, she’d start talking when she was ready.

“What kind of nymph are you?” she asked Sierra.

“There are different kinds?” Sierra asked and Octavia looked at me.

“We don’t know what kind, Clive just said that she’s a nymph,” I said.

“Well, all types of nymphs are human until they bond, once marked their powers emerge,” she began.

“What powers?” Sierra asked.

“All nymphs can heal, which is why there are so few of you around. A very long time ago some supernatural beings got in their minds that the blood of nymphs had magical properties. Nymphs were hunted and drained of their blood, but once dead their blood became human like,” she said.

“Clive talked about shared power once marked, he had hoped that she would bond with Conrad, because their pack would benefit her power,” I said and Sierra gave me a look and made a gagging motion.

“Depending on what type of nymph she is, yes. The shared power isn’t what he thinks. All nymphs are associated with fertility, the benefit would be to the pack or in your case the clowder where she resides and is linked to,” she said.

“Fertility as in growing things?” I asked her.

“Yes, Oceanids are sea nymphs which would aid her people in fishing and sailing, making them more successful,” she said.

“How do I know what type of nymph I am?” she asked.

“There’s no way to know before you’re marked,” Octavia said.

“What other types are there?” I asked.

“Nereids are stronger, they are related to both salt- and freshwater. Naiads relate to rivers and lakes, Oreads relate to mountains, Napaeae and Alseids relate to groves and Dryads relate to trees and forests,” she said.

“Does it matter what type she is?” I asked her.

“Yes, if she’s a Dryad for example, she’ll flourish more being surrounded by forests rather than living in the city. She’ll feel drawn to whatever she relates to and her healing abilities will be stronger because of it,” she said.

“Is it possible to be more than one?” I asked and they both looked at me.

“It depends on what type of nymphs her parents were, anything’s possible Griffin, why do you ask?” she asked me.

“I found her on the lake bed unconscious, she was coming from Caratunk which only tells me that she entered the lake somewhere along Moose Bay which is roughly three miles of swimming in ice cold water. Later when I was shot, Sierra uhm, slept next to me and I was fully healed the next morning,” I said.

“You mean you had sex,” Octavia said and I just nodded as Sierra looked everywhere but at us.

“That’s because you two are bonded halves, her healing abilities will always be strongest with you,” she continued.

“What happens if Griffin doesn’t mark me?” Sierra asked her.

“Then you remain as you are now, you stay human and your powers are never awakened,” she said and emptied her coffee cup, “why would you worry about marking?”

“She doesn’t feel the bond anymore, Claudette took it along with her memories of me,” I said.

“Why would Claudette do that?” she asked me, narrowing her eyes.

“I went to go see her, I needed to find Sierra because I could physically hear her calling my name, the Enforcers all felt her fear through me,” I said.

“I see,” she said, tapping her fingernail against the empty cup.

“I didn’t know she would do that,” I said as I looked at her intently.

“What’s done is done, it can’t be undone unless Claudette undoes it and we both know she’ll never do that. I’m glad to see you fighting for something worthwhile Griffin,” she said and I shifted uncomfortably on the couch.

“Can you extract certain memories without removing them?” I asked her.

“That is a dangerous game, why?” she asked me.

“The Council wants answers as to why I waged war against the Hastings pack, Chester and Louis,” I said and she made a face.

“Those two never liked you,” she said.

“They were waiting for Sierra to wake up, but she can’t remember being kidnapped by Conrad and my word is evidently not enough, neither is the testimony of the Enforcers that went with me,” I said to her.

“They want to go after Damon,” I said as my fists clenched and unclenched.

“Why?” Sierra asked suddenly.

“He’s the Alpha, he took my word and went along with what I said, this is their way of punishing me,” I said.

“I wish I could remember,” she said sadly.

“Griffin you know there is no foolproof way to extract memories, I can’t put them back,” Octavia said and I sighed.

“I can’t let Damon go through this again, Brightwater changed him the first time, he’s not going to prison because of me,” I said to her.

“Can you go to prison?” Sierra asked me.

“Not if I offer my memories to the Council,” I said.

“And then you’d forget me?” she asked.

“That depends on which memories he offers up, if it’s just the memories of the kidnapping, going to see Claudette and waging war he’d still remember you, just not those events,” Octavia said.

“Do that then,” Sierra said.

“I won’t remember that you don’t remember anything,” I said to her.

“You told me everything that happened, so I know what you’ll remember,” she said with a smile.

“Was that all you wanted?” Octavia asked me.

“When it comes to it, I want you to be the one to take them,” I said to Octavia.

“I’ll try my best,” she said and stood up.

“Thank you,” Sierra said and stood up. She surprised everyone by hugging Octavia but I saw the beginnings of a smile on her face as she hugged Sierra back.

“Don’t mess this up Griffin,” Octavia said and disappeared from the living room.

I stood up and took our empty cups back to the kitchen and stood in front of the sink deep in thought when Sierra’s hands snaked around my waist and she pressed herself against my back. I had stiffened for just a second when she let go of me.

“You looked like you could do with a hug,” she said when I turned around to face her.

“Thanks,” I said with a chuckle.

“Do you want soup for dinner or something else?” she asked me as she stood there looking awkwardly at me.

I looked out of the kitchen window and noticed the orange sky. The sun was busy setting and we had skipped lunch. Kane growled at me from the living room and I smiled as I opened the freezer and took the meat out.

“Kane says he wants spaghetti,” I said.

Sierra sat down at the counter as I started making the preparations for dinner. We talked about her childhood and she told me what it was like growing up in a wolf pack. Kane had joined us and he lay quietly by her feet and listened intently.

“The Peyton’s were good parents, don’t get me wrong, but it’s hard growing up knowing you're different from the others,” she said.

“I can only imagine,” I said.

“What about yours?” she asked me.

“My mother was weird, she liked to rile my father up, she’d vacuum the driveway at three in the mornings just to piss him off and wake the whole house,” I said with a smile.

“I would’ve liked to meet your mother,” she said.

“She would’ve bought you a taser as a welcome to the family gift,” I said and she laughed.

“My father was strict but not overly so, but you can imagine us as kids, Mac was the in between personality between me and Jett,” I said.

“Jett must have gotten in a lot of trouble as a child,” she said.

“Pretty much, I was always more serious, Mac grounded us, we were the perfect trio,” I said.

“If everything works out and nobody goes to prison, would you go back to take over the clowder from Damon?” she asked me.

“It’s what he wants, I was raised knowing someday I’d have to do it,” I said.

“He misses you a lot,” she said.

“Time hasn’t been kind to us, but hopefully I can set a lot of things right in the future,” I said.

We ate dinner in the kitchen again and I stocked up on more firewood as we watched a movie and Sierra fell asleep on the couch, cuddled into Kane. I kissed her lightly on her forehead as I tucked her into her bed and pulled her door closed.

“Pervert,” Kane muttered as he jumped on my bed.

“Asshole,” I said.